Time to Fight!

It’s that time of year again. Time to sign up for Fight Gone Bad 5, when we here at the Black Box come together to help raise money to help wounded vets and to fight cancer. (The event takes place on Saturday, September 25th.)
I’ve already signed myself up to compete for Team CrossFit NYC. Lenny and Jai have both already signed up, too. I hope you’ll sign up as well to be a part of Team CrossFit NYC.Don’t worry about raising a certain amount of money.Any amount you can raise will help (but $150 or more will get you a free t-shirt, just FYI). And you might be surprised at how generous your friends and family are if you tell them about the event and what you’re doing to prepare.People are used to friends doing endurance athletics as fundraisers. They’ll be surprised to hear your event is only 17 minutes long. But when you explain to them how Fight Gone Bad works, how every rep counts, how you can always fight for another rep (and another, and another…). The blood, sweat, and tears (sometimes literal) that can be involved–let’s just say you’ll definitely make an impression.So who’s with me on this? Go register as part of Team CrossFit NYC (it takes just 5 minutes) and then post to comments to let us know you’re in the Fight!* * * * *Friday 100723 (adjusted for our equipment/space)
Part A. Three rounds for time of:
30 Push-ups, release hands from floor at the bottom
12 Single-ring ring rows (with two hands)
95 pound Overhead squat, 21 reps (women: 65#)
12 Single-ring ring rows (with two hands)
Seven minute time cap. Score time of completion or reps completed within the cap.
Rest 30 seconds.
Part B. Three rounds for time of:
30 Toes to bar
95 pound Ground to overhead, 21 reps (women: 65#)
Seven minute time cap. Score time of completion or reps completed within the cap.
Rest 30 seconds.
Part C. Three rounds for time of:
40″ burpee box jumps, 5 reps (women: 30″ box)
30 towel pull-ups (women: 20 towel pull-ups)
Twelve minute time cap. Score time of completion or reps completed within the cap.
Post times and/or number of rounds and reps completed for each part to comments.NOTE:Please bring a towel for the towel-pullup sub. Thanks!How to walk through crowdsDo certain types of sneakers prevent injury?Moral licensing and its implications (including with diet)Powerlifting trash cans as a test of physical fitnessAll-you-can-eat ballparks expandingSports are stupid. Beautiful. Dull. Transcendent. Most of all, they’re more than just games.

Responses

PLEASE BRING A TOWEL TODAY FOR TOWEL PULL-UPS AS A SUB FOR ROPE CLIMB. THANKS!
Scaling options courtesy of Brand X:
All scaling today follow the rest period laid out by HQ
Part A
Big Dawgs
as Rx‚Äôd
Women — 65#
Pack:
OHS 65/45
Scale to 20 reps
Puppies:
OHS pvc – 25#
Scale to 10 reps (if you cannot do push ups allow yourself to lay fully on the ground and snake up by breaking the plank)
Part B
Big Dawgs:
As Rx‚Äôd
Women — KTEs instead of TTB; 65#
Pack
Three rounds for time of:
30 Toes to bar
65 pound Ground to overhead, 21 reps
Seven minute time cap. Score time of completion or reps completed within the cap.
Women – 45
Puppies:
Three rounds for time of:
15 Toes to bar (or knees as high as you able)
10-25 pound Ground to overhead, 21 reps
Seven minute time cap. Score time of completion or reps completed within the cap.
Part C
Big Dawgs
as Rx‚Äôd
Women — 2 ascents on rope climb
Pack
Part C. Three rounds for time of:
30″ burpee box jumps, 5 reps (women: 20″)
20 towel pull-ups (women: 12 reps)
Fifteen minute time cap. Score time of completion or reps completed within the cap.
Puppies
Part C. Three rounds for time of:
2 hurdle hops with burpee or squat thrust, 5 reps
20 jumping towel pull-ups
Twelve minute time cap. Score time of completion or reps completed within the cap.Some ideas for subs for the wall jumps. At Brand X we have used our parallel bar to simulate a wall. We have also used our vault and boosted it up on blocks to simulate a wall. If you dont have something you can work with a good sub might be burpee box jumps.

Hari

If you’re not registered for the OPT seminar, you’re making a mistake. If you stick with CrossFit, years from now you will be kicking yourself.

Robzilla

The “How to walk through crowds” link is pointing to the Powerlifting article.

keller

im interested in the opt seminar but will be out of the country when he is here – if we can figure out a workaround (video tape or something to that effect) i would gladly sign up to receive that

Brian

Great time last night by all(Lisa, Jai, Christine, Avery, Max, Dwayne, Ricky, Dan, Dave, and myself) who ran the Van Courtland Track Club 5k last night. It was a little hot but running through the woods, up and over the hills was quite a fun challenge. Congrats to all especially Lisa and Christine for placing third in their age groups.
I personally ran a 21:50, pretty happy with that.
Hope others can join us next time. There will be two more of these races over the summer, Van Courtland Track Club’s 5k summer series is every other thursday. There are 2 more races left Aug 5th and Aug 19. The races start at 7p cost $5 and they have a bag check. It is easy to get to, take the 1 train to the very last stop (i believe 242nd st). we meet at times square at 6p and take the train up together.
We will be posting some photo’s up on http://www.nycendurance.com later today.

I just registered for FGB5, I am pretty excited about our team winning it all this year 🙂 along with benefiting some great causes.

Lisa

There were hills?
It was indeed a fun time at Van Cortlandt Park. Very lowkey race, just show, pay $5 and go.
A bunch of us started a few minutes late, which gave me the impetus to take off in a panic to catch the tail end. Finished in 22:something by my watch.
I will be going back to the next one, and will leave early enough this time to make the official start 🙂

Christine

The race was a BLAST! Thanks, Avery, for convincing me to join you, to Brian for leading and it was great meeting the rest of CFE team who all showed up. I will DEFINITELY be doing the next two races and will be soliciting fellow gym members to give it a try.
To all you CF NYC’ers readers, this is the PERFECT test of your fitness as a CF athlete. You don’t need to be a runner to do this race and the fitness you’ve gained doing CF is what will give you the performance you need to make to the finish line. In other words, this is WHY you Crossfit. Go ahead, test yourself. The race environment is supportive and friendly – and the post-race refueling of chicken wings and Guiness (or Yuengling or water) with the gang really round out the evening as a fun experience. So…..who’s in?
PS – I didn’t know this before, but CFE also meets weekly on Tuesday eve’s at 6:30pm (Columbus Cir and 59th st entrance to Central Park). I am soooo there!

Simon P

That run does sound like a lot of fun, I’d like to give it a shot. My 5k, on flat pavement, is ridiculously slow as it is. I’m gonna have to train for it a bit so as to not be completely embarrassed doing it on a trail.

As of 11:06am, we’re ranked 7th for FGB5 as far as how much money we’ve already raised!
Thanks to Chris G. for registering as well and already raising $250! Looks like he’ll be the one to catch!
Who’s going to be next to sign up?

GabeK

Hari—
I’m impressed to hear that outlook from you on OPT…not that it matters to me since I’m not there, but how do you balance running a “main site” box with the knowledge that OPT is fundamentally superior programming?
Just curious

Robzilla, thanks for letting me know about the bad link for the crowds article–I’ve fixed it.
Today I tried putting into practice what the article says, and it seems to make sense…

jenn

Part A:
1 round + 10 OHS (45#)
Part B:
1 round (65#)
Part C:
Finished at 10:55 (28″ box)
Successfully jumped a few 32″ boxes, so I guess that’s a PR?
Also, I just joined the CrossFit NYC team for FGB5. I don’t really have any friends so this will be interesting to see how much I can raise…

Fight Gone bad fundraiser & monthly competition….since both of these topics came up in the last 2 days I’m going to make a suggestion that:
1. If you compete you throw in 5 bucks
2. Top finishing male and female have the box donate the winnings to their amount on the FGB fundraiser ( I think you get a free t-shirt after a certain amount raised )
…just a suggestion, what’s everyone think?

GabeK,
Your question rates a response, after you clarify your underlying premise: Superior in what way and for whom?

marcos

Part A: 65# over head squat
1 round + 2 ring rows (first set)
Part B: 65# ground to over head
1 round + 1 tow to bar
Part C: 20″ box w/ two 45# plates
5 rounds + 5 burpee box jumps (shout out to Carlos for pushing me on part C, thanks)
I’m in for FGB5! Team CFNYC, lets get it!

GabeK

If one maintains a “Crossfit” (i.e. main-site) program, they will be “kicking oneself years from now”
Implicit in your original statement is that OPT is objectively better, whether marginal/relative/absolutely/whatever qualifier you choose.
As a previous, and still proud member of CFNYC, I was always curious as to the motivations to maintain main-site programming. I assumed, correctly or not, that this was done for logistical reasons and to cater to the median…leaving outliers on the “elite” end to fend for themselves regarding customized programming.
Clearly OPT’s style and programming content have significant value. You as a consumer have proven that by “renting” him for a seminar.
That circles me back to my curiosity about why CFNYC continues the course of main-site programming. Whether you and the other owners anticipate this to persist? How you think this positions you in the Crossfit market in the greater NYC area? If you have noticed that this option has ostracized past members and pushed them to clearly delineated programs? The bevvy of curiosity can go on for a good while…
I also want to make a clear point that my curiosity is not adversarial or argumentative. I think it’s natural and clear-cut for a CrossFit gym to in fact use CrossFit’s free, pre-packaged programming. I’m just curious why many opt-out, and why you have vehemently opted-in.
To make this response truly “Hari” proof – I do not objectively hold empirical evidence that OPT or any other CrossFit-styled program is inherently better. I sense that it is, but I also sense that some people run like Olympians on candy bars and beer…so that’s that.
Frankly, I think it’s good for all of the CFNYC members to have a basic understanding of the method of programming, otherwise the meaning of BlackBox changes quite significantly.

Simon P

I’m a total CF n00b, and I’ve wondered too why our box is a main site box, while all the others in NYC do their own programming. Again, as a newbie, I have no opinion either way since my only experience of crossfit is what I’ve had at CFNYC. As a non-insider consumer, “off the street” so to speak, the fact that the programming comes from CrossFit headquarters gives it MORE credibility to me. They invented this after all. I have a friend who goes to CFLIC, and while they have a nice box, I’ve wondered how is their owner somehow more qualified to come up with the programming? I think it’s a worthy discussion, to me it would help shed some light on how the system works.

Brett_nyc

Hey Gabe K, long time no see man!
I think Hari’s original point was that OPT is an awesome athlete, coach, and business owner, and to miss this lecture and coaching opportunity would be a mistake; and that people who continue to be CFers in the future will kick themselves for missing an opportunity to meet, interact, learn from and get coached by someone of OPT’s caliber.
I don’t think he was saying that it’s a mistake to stay on mainsite programming and not switch to OPT’s programming, and that years form now you’ll regret not switching.

There are multiple questions in play. Let me begin by elaborating on my original statement. My point was that in the sport of CrossFit, OPT is clearly headed for the Hall of Fame. He won the first CrossFit Games. He has made what I believe will be regarded as very important contributions to how people think about CrossFit. He is a brilliant coach.
None of this is inconsistent with CrossFit NYC’s decision to follow the Main Site programming. Nor is it inconsistent with the fact that several of our coaches (including me) currently follow OPT’s programming. I am simply saying that in my opinion, those who stay with this sport and do not attend this seminar will regret missing an opportunity. I think the same will be true regarding several other speakers who will follow.
To make an analogy, the Main Site is similar to the “core curriculumn” at great university. If your objective is to maximize the fitness “education” of “undergraduates,” then we believe the Main Site is the best programming available. Just as given faculty members may debate the merit of this or that book, it does not change the fact that the Main Site provides an extraordinary “sylabus.”
To extend this imperfect analogy, OPT site is similar to graduate studies. The material is much the same, but the depth in many areas is simply greater. The question is who are the “students.” We believe for the general CrossFit population, the Main Site is the best curriculumn we can provide. For people hoping to compete at the CrossFit Games, the goal may be somewhat different.
Why other affiliates choose their own implementation of the same general material varies. We believe that following the Main Site requires an extraordinary level of resources on the part of an affiliate, not the least of which is being able to respond on a few hours notice and having a “faculty” that can handle whatever comes up whenever it comes up. We believe that one of our greatest strengths is the ability to do just that and thereby provide our members with some of the best that CrossFit has to offer.
Another other (but related) way in which we are substantially different from most affiliates is that we don’t close on holiday weekends or on holidays, period. My point is not to criticize other affiliates who may not have the resources we have. My point is that we do what we do the way we do it, because we are committed to providing the best value we can. We make mistakes, but we never stop trying to get better. In the very area of programming, we just started a major review of how we program Rest Day WOD’s. We are hopeful our members will like the change that are in the works.

Avery

Ditto on what people said about the run at VCT Park yesterday. It was hot, there were hills, but it was a lot of fun. Hop off the train,then 1,2,3, go!
I was one of the slower ones out of the CFE NYC group (in the 26 minute range), but had a blast and look forward to improving my time over the course of the summer. Next one is two weeks from now and you don’t even have to sign up ahead of time. SO, if you are “slow” that is not a good enough excuse!

MC

A. 2 rounds (45# OHS… should have gone for more, but still suck at this movement, especially with this many reps)
B. 1 round, 14 reps overhead (stuck with the snatch, first round at 95#, dropped to 65# in second round)
C. 9:45 (green band ring pull-ups)

Hari

I just realized that my original comment may have been unclear. When I wrote, “if you stick with CrossFit,” I meant if you continue to CrossFit.